3 ex-officers found guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A jury found three fired Minneapolis police officers guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights on Thursday.

The jury’s verdict came two days of deliberations in the federal case against Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane.

The former officers were charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when fellow Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Chauvin was previously found guilty on state murder charges. He pleaded guilty in the federal civil rights case.

Kueng and Thao were also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the May 25, 2020, videotaped killing that triggered protests worldwide and a reexamination of racism and policing.

Thao held back bystanders. Kueng and Lane helped restrain Floyd.

The all-white jury was made up of eight women and four men, according to ABC News.

The ex-officers face up to life in prison; however, CNN reports that sentencing guidelines suggest they will serve a lesser sentence.

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